LOCAL AND GENERAL

Evening Star, Issue 18280, 21 May 1923, Page 2

LOCAL AND GENERAL

The stone of completion of tho Papatoctoo (Auckland) Orphans’ Homo was placed in position on Saturday by the Governor-General ns Grand Master of New Zealand Masonic Grand Lodge with full Masonic honors. Tho Freemasons have played a largo part in raising funds for completing tho building, which can now accommodate 100 orphans. lira conduct of an insurance company which endeavored to settle for £2 18s Id a claim, by a lad who had lost part of a thumb as the result of an accident was tho subject of comment in a case recently heard by tho Arbitration Court. Tho matter was referred to by Mr Justice Frazer at tho commencement of tho proceedings at the Arbitration Court in Christchurch on -Saturday morning. His Honor stated that the solicitor for the company had offered an explanation of tho circumstances, which His Honor had accepted. The explanation was to tlio effect that the wording of tho original report of tho accident submitted to the insurance company by the lad's employer led the company to believe that ho had merely sliced off tho top of his thumb. Hearing that the lad had returned to work a few weeks later, and, assuming that there was no permanent injury, tho company made no further inquiries, and offered, to settle the claim on the basis of a payment of 65 per cent, of the wages lost during tho period of incapability. When the company ascertained that the lad Ifad sustained a permanent injury it admitted its liability, and 1 but for the misunderstanding as to the case having been fixed for hearing at the present sittings it would have settled the matter out of court. “ Ono does not expect,” says tho Christchurch ‘ Sun,’ “to find an economy campaign being followed in court, because magistrates often give offenders the impression that money is no object; but that is where tho latest manifestation of the economy spirit was seen to-day (Saturday). Two by-law offenders—a man who had ridden a bicycle without a light and a woman who had allowed her chimney to catch lire—voluntarily appeared before Mr H. Y. Widdowsoa at tho Magistrate’s Court this morning to answer charges against them. They had saved tho cost of summonses, 12s each. In the ordinary course of events these- cases would not have come on for some days, but yesterday, before the summonses had been issued, the defendants applied to tho court to bo heard Ibis morning. For riding a bicycle without a light the malo defendant was fined ss, without costs, and the woman paid 6s, also without costs, for letting her chimney catch fire. The procedure taken by the defendants is quite legal, being provided for in the Police Offenders Act, but it is very rarely indeed that advantage is taken of tho provision to save the cost of a summons. Most defendants wait for a summons, hoping sincerely that the police will relent .or lose the details of the case. It ia a vain hope.” Mr J. Jackson Purdio spoke at the residents’ meeting in the Y.M.C.A. yesterday. His address was directed to encouraging the upward look in every aspect of life. Taking the vision of Jacob in bus time of extremity as a basis, tho speaker proceeded to show it to be a fundamental law in business or in spiritual things that a man can only attain that to which ho aspires. He urged his hearers to keep ever present the thought of the world being better for the individual haying lived, and he pointed out that, as in Jacob’s vision, so there was in reality a ladder stretching to Heaven, as wo. attempt to ascend it with tho idea of reaching God, Who is above, there is spiritual assistance offered every rung of the way. In tho afternoon Rev. W. J. Kddy, of Australia, who has recently returned from a visit to the leper settlements ot the world, gave an interesting address on the work being done by his mission. He first traced references to leprosy from tho Scriptures, and showed that at first -the Jews cared for their lepers till finally the world over the leper became an outcast. Mr Eddy said that Christianity alone held out any hope for the leper; all the cults of India treated him as a pest, and in many parts of China he was summarily destroyed. The mission for lepers, however, worked hand in hand with every denomination in helping to save him, spiritually and physically. Tho once incurable leper has at last a chance, in that medical science has discovered a remedy that in 25 per cent, cures tho paient, and in the majority of cases at least stays the progress of the disease. A bright spot in the whole business, said tho speaker, was the fact that it was not an hereditary disease, and that it was possible to save the children, many of whom had become bright Christians, and grown up to married life with no taint of the disease. Costumes tasteful and neat, austere and gay, representing a wide variety of characters, were prominent on Saturday evening at the Early Settlers’ Hall, where a fancy dress dance was conducted by. Miss Wallace. The majority of the eighty couples who wore present wore fancy costumes, the varying colors of which gave a spectacular effect as tho dancers glided around. The hall was prettily decorated, the lighting effects were well .arranged, and tho floor was in excellent condition. The chief essential of enjoyable dancing, however, is good dance music, and in that respect the evening was also an unqualified success. The Gordon-Flint Jazz Orchestra was in good form, and contributed a programme of tho latest one-step and fox trot selections. So appreciated, in fact, was their playing that it was only after two or three encores that the dancers could bo induced to resume their seats. Tin’s fancy dress dance was one of tho series of “Pic o’ Dances’’ that are held each Saturday night by Miss Wallace.